


The Most Magical Place on Earth

by Robin Hood (kjack89)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Developing Relationship, Disney World & Disneyland, Fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-06 20:57:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12218814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kjack89/pseuds/Robin%20Hood
Summary: “What’re you doing here?” Carisi asked and Barba only just managed to refrain from rolling his eyes and giving him a particularly scathing response.Instead, he favored Carisi with a raised eyebrow and a cool, “I could ask you the same thing.”Carisi’s smile didn’t falter at Barba’s tone, though perhaps after three years of working together, he was just immune to it. Barba only wished he was equally as immune to Carisi’s smile. And dimples. And stupid accent.Or, the one where Barba and Carisi go to Disney World.





	1. Orlando International Airport

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all are gonna take my "Queen of Angst" crown away from me after this one, I swear.
> 
> Blame, as always, goes to tobeconspicuous and AHumanFemale, who are utterly incorrigible.
> 
> Utterly self-indulgent fluff from my Disney-loving self. I'm choosing to view this as a writing exercise, to see just how ridiculously fluffy I can make something while still keeping these two in character. Or something like that, anyway.
> 
> Since Noah aged about 3 years during the 3 month summer hiatus, I've put his age at a much more reasonable 3-ish here.
> 
> My outline shows this clocking in at 6 chapters, and I already hate myself for that. To be updated as frequently as possible, likely every other day, though don't hold me to that.
> 
> Usual disclaimer: if you recognize it, it's either the property of NBC Universal/Dick Wolf or the Walt Disney Company, including the title, which is, of course, the tagline for the Magic Kingdom. Please be kind and tip your fanfic writers in the form of comments and/or kudos!

Barba made a particularly undignified noise as he lifted Olivia’s suitcase off of the conveyer belt. “What did you pack in there?” he complained, rubbing his back much in the way Olivia was rubbing Noah’s, the kid having finally fallen asleep after being awake and crabby most of the plane ride to Orlando.

Olivia just laughed. “One day you might have a kid, and then you’d understand.”

Barba looked at Noah critically. “How much room can his stuff possibly take up?” he asked. “He’s _tiny_.”

Olivia rolled her eyes and shifted Noah to her hip so that she could take the handle of the suitcase from Barba, who adjusted his grip on his own suitcase. “Thanks for coming with us, by the way,” Olivia said casually.

Too casually.

Casually enough that Barba knew what she wasn’t saying, namely _“Thanks for accompanying me and my son on our vacation even though this is only going to fuel the rumors from people who think that we’re together”_.

Not that Barba cared. Anyone who knew them knew there was nothing there, and frankly, the rumors of him with a woman helped his career far more than rumors of him with a police lieutenant could hurt it.

“I still can't believe you've never been to Disney World,” Olivia added, and Barba rolled his eyes, about to respond when—

“Lieu! Counselor!” An all-too-familiar Staten Island accent cut across the baggage claim and Barba turned to stare at Liv, who had the audacity to look amused.

“What?” she asked, a touch defensively. “I didn’t know he was going to be here.”

Barba ground his teeth together as Carisi jogged towards them, stupidly wide grin on his face to match his equally stupid clothing choices, including khaki cargo shorts and flip-flops as if he was a frat boy on vacation, rather than a seasoned NYPD detective. “Aren’t you the one who has to approve his time off?” Barba asked sourly under his breath as Carisi drew to a halt in front of them, still beaming.

“What’re you doing here?” Carisi asked and Barba only just managed to refrain from rolling his eyes and giving him a particularly scathing response.

Instead, he favored Carisi with a raised eyebrow and a cool, “I could ask you the same thing.”

Carisi’s smile didn’t falter at Barba’s tone, though perhaps after three years of working together, he was just immune to it. Barba only wished he was equally as immune to Carisi’s smile. And dimples. And stupid accent. “Carisi family vacation,” Carisi supplied easily. “Now that Fiona’s old enough, my parents decided to drag everyone to Disney for a couple days. What about you two?”

“Noah and I had been planning this for awhile now,” Olivia interjected smoothly, before Barba could actually provide the snide remark on the tip of his tongue. “And then Lucy wasn’t able to make it, so I had an extra ticket, and since Barba’s never been to Disney World—”

Carisi’s eyes widened and he stared at Barba, incredulous. “You’ve never been to Disney World?” he asked.

Barba huffed a sigh and rolled his eyes. “No, trips to Florida as a child meant visiting Miami and my relatives, not getting weighed down in the quagmire of overpriced tourist traps.”

“Well in that case, you’re in luck,” Carisi said, grinning. “I’ve been to Disney World 5 times, because overpriced tourist traps are my family’s bread and butter. And as such, Counselor, I will be more than happy to be your tour guide.”

“You really don’t have to do that,” Barba told him. “I’m sure that you want to spend time with your family, and besides—”

His further protests were cut off by the untimely arrival of the entire Carisi clan, each one louder and more Italian than the last. Carisi raised his voice to talk over the lot of them. “Hey everyone, this is my lieutenant, Olivia Benson—” Olivia gave a little wave, a single arched eyebrow the only indication that she was almost as perplexed at the pack of Carisi relatives as Barba. “—and this is ADA Rafael Barba.”

The two women that Barba assumed were Carisi’s older sisters Teresa and Gina sprouted almost identical, evil grins at that, and Barba quickly looked away to focus on the sister that he recognized. “Bella, Tommy,” he said with a nod. “Always good to see you.”

Tommy smiled at him and nudged his and Bella’s daughter, Fiona, who was staring up at Barba with wide, solemn eyes. “C’mon, Fi, say hi to Mr. Barba.”

Fiona, as if sensing that Barba was less than fond of children, instead chose to hide her face against Tommy’s leg and Barba forced a smile before offering the only thing he knew to be appropriate at a time like this: “She’s getting so big.”

Bella laughed. “She better be,” she said, patting her stomach. “She’s got a brother on the way that she’s gonna have to be able to boss around.”

That statement brought about a whole round of congratulations from all the assembled relatives and Liv, who instantly launched into talking about the particular joys of raising a son, and while Barba mostly tuned the entire conversation out, he couldn’t help but notice that Carisi’s mother was staring at him, her lips pursed with something like disapproval. “So,” she said, her tone unreadable, “you’re Mr. Barba.”

Barba had the sudden, horrible and inexplicable reminder of being introduced to his high school girlfriend’s parents and his smile faltered somewhat. “Uh, yes,” he said, apparently just as eloquent as his high school self. His ability to recover had somewhat improved, though, as he quickly added, “It’s a pleasure to meet your family. Det. Carisi’s told us a lot about you.”

Evidently it was the right thing to say, since Mrs. Carisi smiled slightly before joining in the baby conversation. Barba felt a sharp elbow in his side and turned to frown at Carisi, who looked slightly worried. “Don’t mind my ma,” he said in an undertone, his brow furrowed slightly. “She’s like that with everyone.”

Though Barba just shrugged, he couldn’t help but notice that Olivia didn’t seem to be getting the third degree from Mrs. Carisi. Nor, for that matter, were Gina and Teresa staring at Olivia with identical looks like cats that had gotten the cream, the way they were staring at Barba without even trying to be surreptitious about it.

He tactfully declined to mention that, though, choosing instead to mutter, “As much as I appreciate the offer of tour guide, Detective, I’m sure that you have better things to do—”

“Carisis, let’s move out,” Carisi’s dad bellowed and Carisi turned back to Barba, grinning again.

“I mean it, Counselor — you can’t beat the Sonny Carisi Walt Disney World experience. Magic Kingdom, tomorrow?”

He sounded so eager that Barba just couldn’t bring himself to dash his hopes, especially since he frankly didn’t have anything better planned. “Sure,” he said instead, and Carisi’s grin widened.

“Can’t wait!” he called before turning to follow his family out of the airport.

Barba just turned back to Olivia, shaking his head helplessly. “As his commanding officer, you’ve got to be able to get me out of this,” he said, his tone barely more than begging.

Olivia just laughed. “Sorry, but you’re on your own,” she said, setting a now-awake Noah down and taking his hand. “Besides, it’s Disney. Who knows what kind of magic can happen?”

Barba glared daggers at her as she walked Noah toward the shuttle for their hotel. “Magic,” he scoffed under his breath. “Yeah, right.”


	2. Magic Kingdom

Perhaps it had been a bit foolish of him, given that he was at Disney World, given that he was staying in a (surprisingly nice and seemingly mostly soundproof, thank God for small miracles) hotel room on Disney property, but frankly, Barba was overwhelmed by the staggering amount of Mickey Mouses — Mickey Mice? Barba hadn’t had enough coffee that morning to determine the proper grammar of pluralizing Mickey — that assaulted him from the moment he woke up.

To Mickey Mouse’s face carved on his complimentary bar of soap to Mickey-shaped waffles at breakfast to the Mickey-shaped balloons bobbing cheerfully under a clear blue sky, the familiar silhouette of the damned Mouse was everywhere.

Including perched jauntily on Carisi’s head.

“Please God, no,” Barba said wearily in lieu of a greeting, followed almost instantly by, “I need more coffee.”

Carisi grinned at him and Barba tried desperately to ignore the Mickey ears on his head, ‘Sonny’ emblazoned on them in neat cursive in yellow thread. “Luckily for you, I brought you this,” he said, holding out a travel mug of coffee, which Barba gratefully accepted, ignoring for the moment the cartoon characters that decorated the mug. “And, uh, I got you something else.”

He held out his other hand and Barba choked on his sip of coffee. “You didn’t,” he said, a little desperately.

“I did,” Carisi said, still grinning. “Got to the park first thing in the morning and was first in line at The Chapeau. I mean, I wasn’t sure whether to get ‘Barba’ or ‘Counselor’ embroidered on ‘em, but…”

He trailed off and Barba looked balefully at the mouse ear hat, which Carisi had in fact gotten embroidered with the name ‘Rafael’. “I appreciate the thought,” Barba said, reluctantly, and Carisi raised an eyebrow at him.

“I mean, it’s tradition. You go to Disney World, you get Mouse ears. I thought about getting you one of the fancy ones, you know, to match one of your really bright ties? But you strike me as a man who enjoys the classics, so.”

Carisi shrugged, still holding the hat out to Barba, who continued to stare at it with a dubious expression. “You do know that I’m closer to 50 than I am to 40, right?”

"And I'm closer to 40 than I am to 30," Carisi said, his smile slipping toward a frown. "What's your point?"

Barba gave him a look. "Don't you think the ears are a little juvenile?"

Carisi scowled at him, setting his hands on his hips in a way that reminded Barba rather vividly that Carisi normally carried a gun. And knew how to use it. "You calling me immature, Counselor?"

There was no good way to answer that, and Barba settled for shrugging and making a non-committal noise. "Good," Carisi said, a note of warning in his voice. "Then put the damn hat on. And look happy about it."

Barba considered the eighteen different legal arguments he could make against that order and dismissed all of them, instead heaving a sigh and accepting the hat from Carisi before setting it gingerly on his head. “Happy?” he asked, well aware that he sounded either like a grumpy old man or petulant child, neither of which was a particularly good look for him.

But Carisi just smiled, beamed really, the smile lighting up not just his face but his entire being. “Yeah,” he said. “Classic was a good choice. It suits you.”

Without warning, Carisi grabbed Barba’s arm and dragged him down the street before stopping, slinging an arm around Barba’s shoulders and telling him with no small amount of enthusiasm, “Selfie time!”

Barba was too baffled to protest and Carisi snapped the picture before Barba could figure out how to stop him. “Aw, look at that, Counselor,” Carisi said, showing the photo to Barba. “What a great picture.”

It was, surprisingly, Barba’s expression coming off less startled than he’d expected and almost coy instead, while Carisi’s was the same exuberant grin he’d been wearing most of the morning, and they were both framed almost perfectly by Cinderella’s Castle in the background. Barba dragged his eyes away from Carisi’s dimples in the picture only to also avoid looking at the real thing directly in front of him. “Very nice,” he said diplomatically, before draining half of the coffee Carisi had brought him in a single gulp. “But you can probably call me Rafael.”

“Yeah?” Carisi said, a little startled.

“You bought me a hat and brought me coffee,” Barba said, amused. “I think that merits the use of my first name.”

Carisi grinned. “What’re the chances of me getting you to call me Sonny?”

“It would take a lot more magic than even Walt Disney himself could provide,” Barba said dryly.

Carisi just laughed. “Fair enough.” He glanced at his watch. “Ok, so, before we get started—”

“We haven’t even gotten started yet?” Barba asked.

Carisi ignored him. “How do you feel about roller coasters?” he asked instead, and Barba blinked, taken aback by the question. Carisi caught the look on his face and shrugged. “I mean, I figured it was better to ask than assume. You know what they say about when you assume…”

He trailed off, smirking, and Barba rolled his eyes. “Keep it up and I’m revoking your permission to call me by my first name,” he muttered, even as he gave Carisi an appraising look. Truthfully, he was less thrown by the question than by Carisi’s thoughtfulness to ask rather than just assume. After all this time, it probably shouldn’t surprise him as much as it did. He knew how caring and empathetic Caris could be, even if Barba used every available opportunity to deflect that caring when directed at himself.

Still, he figured that just this one, Carisi’s thoughtfulness could be rewarded by just a morsel of Barba’s personal life. “When I was 11, I rode the D train all the way from the Bronx to Coney Island and rode the Cyclone until I threw up,” he told Carisi with a slightly wistful grin. “That being said, I think my acid reflux would prefer if we avoided roller coasters.”

“Ok,” Carisi said, nodding, and Barba pretended not to notice the way he lit up at Barba sharing something about himself voluntarily. “So we cross Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad off our list.”

“What about the Matterhorn?” Barba asked.

Carisi rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. “That’s at Disney _land_ , Rafi, c’mon, everyone knows that. Now follow me.”

Without warning, he took off walking, leaving Barba to squawk at his retreating back, “I told you that you could call me Rafael, _not_ Rafi!” When Carisi gave no indication that he had heard or cared, Barba drained his coffee and gritted his teeth before following, albeit at a slightly more controlled pace.

When he finally caught up to Carisi, he gave him a look before asking, “Was that entirely necessary?”

“That depends,” Carisi said seriously. “Did you feel like it was a bit of an adventure?”

“Did I — what?” Barba asked, and Carisi grinned.

“Get it? Cuz we’re in Adventureland!”

Barba blinked at Carisi and made a mental note to mainline coffee as soon as possible. “I’m choosing not to dignify that with a response,” Barba informed Carisi, whose grin became much more of a self-satisfied smirk than anything. “Now that we’re in ‘Adventureland’—” Derision dripped from his voice as he pronounced the name. “—where to?”

Carisi’s smirk faded into something more earnest. “Well, uh, keeping with the theme of ‘classics’, I figured we’d start with the ones that I consider classics, the ‘can’t miss’ stuff.”

Barba shrugged. “You’re the tour guide,” he pointed out evenly. “Lead the way.”

Carisi grinned again, that same blinding grin that Barba half-wished he got to see more of at work (even if he knew that there was precious little about their jobs that would inspire such a smile). Still, he mused as he followed Carisi, maybe he should Carisi take the lead more often, in case that helped.

“So, Rafael,” Carisi started, and Barba gave him a sideways look, already wary of where this was headed, “can I, uh, show you the world?”

He said it like the world’s worst pick-up line and Barba’s brow furrowed. “Can you…” He trailed off when he saw that they had stopped in front of Aladdin’s magic carpets. “If you even think about singing, I’m leaving you here.”

“You gotta lighten up, Counselor,” Carisi said, still grinning as he ushered Barba into the line. “I mean, it’s Disney. You had to know there was going to be singing involved.”

“Of course there was going to be singing,” Barba sniped, not caring how cranky he sounded, “but I was under the apparently misguided assumption that the singing would be coming from the employees and the children.”

Carisi just laughed. “They’re called cast members, not employees,” he said, standing back to magnanimously allow Barba to clamber on the ride first before sliding in after him. Barba tried to ignore the heat from the way their legs were pressed together. “And, uh, not to brag, Counselor, but I was in choir in high school. I can hold my own.”

Since Barba couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, he decided silence was his best recourse.

Instead, Carisi took his silence as acquiescence, and when the ride slowly started, he leaned in to sing in Barba’s ear, “I can show you the world…”

“Do you have a death wish, Detective?” Barba ground out through gritted teeth, and Carisi again just laughed.

* * *

 

After the Aladdin ride, it was a whirlwind of other classics: the Enchanted Tiki Room (“If that song is stuck in my head the entire rest of the day, I’m blaming you,” Barba told Carisi), Pirates of the Caribbean (“It was better before they updated it,” Carisi informed Barba sourly), the Jungle Cruise (“Their puns are almost as bad as yours,” Barba said, mock-horrified), and something called the Country Bear Jamboree that Carisi informed Barba he would love.

When they walked out, Barba shook his head slowly and squinted at Carisi. “What the hell did I just watch?” he asked.

Carisi just laughed. “What can I say, classic Disney involves a lot of animatronics.” He shrugged and then stretched, and Barba absolutely did not watch as Carisi’s white t-shirt rode up a few inches, revealing skin almost as pale as his shirt underneath. “Hey, uh, are you hot?”

Barba blinked and tore his eyes away from Carisi’s stomach to instead look guiltily into Sonny’s face, hoping that he wasn’t blushing (he absolutely was). “Am I — what?”

“Are you hot?” Carisi repeated, with a completely unreadable grin. “You know, warm? Cuz, uh, if you are, we can always go on Splash Mountain.”

He gestured behind Barba, who took the opportunity to turn away from Carisi as quickly as possible, watching skeptically as a log flume plummeted down a massive waterfall. “That depends,” he said carefully. “Am I going to get wet?” Carisi’s lips twitched and Barba sighed. “You’re trying not to make a sex joke about ‘getting wet’, aren’t you?”

“I mean, you made it so easy for me!” Carisi protested, not even bothering to deny it. Something shifted in his expression and his grin sharpened, just slightly. “But we won’t get too wet.”

“Promise?” Barba asked warily.

Carisi looked mock-offended. “Would I lie to you?” he asked.

Barba narrowed his eyes. “I’m tempted to place you under oath just to be on the safe side…”

Carisi rolled his eyes and laughed. “C’mon,” he said. “Hopefully the line’s not _too_ long.”

The line was 45 minutes long, which Carisi assured Barba was completely reasonable. Barba perhaps should’ve taken those 45 minutes to contemplate the title ‘Splash Mountain’ and what, precisely, that likely meant about the nature of the ride.

The fact that he didn’t could be almost entirely blamed on Carisi, who kept up a running and often scathing commentary of people-watching as the line inched forward, and the fact that his observations were not only devastatingly accurate but also mostly hilarious.

It had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that Carisi’s smile was becoming something of an addiction for Barba.

He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about this before, especially when Carisi was shadowing him. Late nights cooped up in Barba’s office with nothing but each other for company was enough to make even Barba’s imagination wander. But he’d chosen not to pursue it after Sgt. Dodds’ death and Carisi’s decision to stay with SVU. At the time, he’d seen the decision as Carisi choosing the NYPD, and all it entailed, over a different possible future, one in which Barba might possibly fit.

Now, standing in the line for Splash Mountain with Carisi resting his elbows on the metal railing and half-smiling while he made jokes solely for Barba’s benefit, Barba couldn’t help but wonder if his initial assessment hadn’t been at least slightly harsh.

Of course, whatever reconsidering he’d been doing evaporated when Carisi steered them into the line for the front row, and Barba’s suspicions were instantly raised. “Won’t we get the most wet sitting in the front row?” he asked.

Carisi looked at him, eyes wide and innocent. “No, see, that’s the beauty of it. The water just, uh, it crests over the front row to splash the people sitting in the second row instead.”

“I don’t think that’s how water works,” Barba started, but before he could protest further, they were next in line, and by then it was far too late.

A little over ten minutes later, and Barba stood, blinking in a dazed sort of way as water dripped steadily from his previously pristine lilac-colored button down and pooled around his now almost-assuredly ruined loafers. Carisi was too busy laughing to even care that Barba was glaring at him with an intensity that could melt paint off the walls. “I’m sorry, Raf, I couldn’t resist,” Carisi gasped through his laughter, wiping his eyes, his hair now tousled out of its usual coif. “My ma fell for that when I was 12, and I figured if it worked on the second-smartest person I’ve ever known, it might also work on the smartest…”

Barba chose to ignore the backhanded compliment, instead trying to keep his dignity intact as he marched towards the exit, ignoring the way his loafers made a horrible squelching sound with every step.

What little dignity he had remaining turned tail and fled when he was greeted on the overhead monitors by the picture taken when the log had started its fall, and Carisi’s laugh returned in full force. “Jesus Christ,” Carisi wheezed. “Your _face_.”

The picture had been taken at the exact moment Barba had realized what a mistake he'd made, and as such his face was the perfect mixture of horror and utter homicidal rage. “I am _so glad_ you find this _funny_ ,” Barba seethed.

“The great Rafael Barba taken down by a children’s ride?” Carisi said. “No, I find this _hilarious_.”

That was the last straw, and Barba stalked away, not particularly caring if Carisi followed him or not. Of course, Carisi did — eventually, anyway, though he was holding a plastic bag when he finally jogged up to Barba, and Barba glared at the bag. “Did you actually buy that picture?” he demanded.

“Twenty bucks to have a permanent reminder of one of the best moments of my life seems like a pretty reasonable price to pay,” Carisi said, grinning. Barba’s stubborn scowl didn’t shift and Carisi rolled his eyes. “C’mon, one day you’ll look back on this and find it funny. And in the meantime, I’ll buy you a Dole Whip to cheer you up.”

"Considering I don't know what that a Dole Whip is, do you really think I'm going to fall for that a second time?" Barba snapped, irritated (and irritated at himself for feeling as irrationally irritated as he did).

Carisi's expression softened. "Firstly, a Dole Whip is something delicious and I would not lie about food under any circumstances, hand to God. Secondly, if it'll make you feel better, I'll buy you a new pair of shoes when we get back to the city. They won't be nearly as nice, mind you, but—"

His expression was so earnest, his puppy dog eyes in full force, that Barba couldn't help but sigh and roll his eyes, even if he wasn’t yet ready to forgive him. "Fine," he relented. "But there better not be any damn Mickey ears in or around this 'Dole Whip'."

Carisi grinned again. "There's not," he assured him, stepping out into the sunlight for the first time and Barba froze, staring unabashedly at the sight of Carisi's now very see-through white t-shirt and especially the way it clung to his chest.

Barba's mouth went dry and his only thought was that while he didn't have a frame of reference for Florida's obscenity laws, there was no way that could be legal.

Good Lord.

"You coming?" Carisi asked expectantly with a raised eyebrow and Barba blinked rapidly and looked away.

"Uh, yeah," he muttered, following Carisi, a slow smile stretching across his face. Maybe ruining his second-best pair of loafers had been worth it after all, just for the view alone.


	3. Animal Kingdom/Disney's Hollywood Studios

After the Dole Whips, which were surprisingly good, and a few more rides, Barba made his excuses for why he had to leave. Well, it wasn't really an excuse — he had made plans to meet Olivia for dinner, mostly to give himself an out in case things with Carisi had gone poorly.

Other than the Splash Mountain incident — for which Barba still hadn't _quite_ forgiven Carisi yet — they really hadn't. Barba was always surprised by how good of company Carisi was, though he wasn't sure why. Between late nights spent in Barba’s office to drinks out with the squad that always seemed to end with Barba and Carisi alone together, there was a comfortable camaraderie between the two, and he should've expected it would extend beyond the boundaries of Manhattan.

“Well, Detective, thank you for the tour of Magic Kingdom,” he said, lingering next to Carisi, his hands in his pockets to keep from having to awkwardly shake his hand or something.

“Oh, the tour’s not done,” Carisi said brightly. “We’ve still got Fantasyland and Tomorrowland to tackle. But we’ll save that for another day.”

Barba rolled his eyes. “Of course we will,” he said without sincerity, and Carisi laughed.

“Before I forget,” Carisi started, pulling Barba’s mouse ears from his bag where he'd put them for safe-keeping, “I wouldn't want you to meet the Lieu without being properly dressed.”

Barba made a face as Carisi set the ears on his head. “You're ridiculous,” he said.

Carisi just shrugged unconcernedly. “Yeah, probably,” he said with a grin that softened when he took a step back to examine his handiwork. “But you look good, Counselor. Mouse ears suit you.”

The warmth in his tone was unmistakable and Barba found he couldn't quite come up with something snide to say in response. So he said nothing, just gave an awkward wave over his shoulder as he left.

Olivia’s only reaction to the ear hat on Barba’s head and his wrinkled shirt and still damp loafers was a raised eyebrow, as she was apparently too tactful to say anything. Still, her tone was almost smug as she asked, “How was your day with Carisi?”

Barba quickly took the hat off and was about to stuff it in his pocket when he remembered the smile on Carisi’s face when he had set them on Barba’s head, and instead just held the hat awkwardly in his hands as they walked into the restaurant in Downtown Disney. “It was...surprisingly good,” he said, hoping that keeping the answer vague would forestall any further questions.

Instead, it just made Olivia’s smile grow wider, even as she settled Noah in at their table. “And did you enjoy spending that much time with Carisi?”

“Well, he bought me Mickey Mouse ears _and_ made me wear them in public, so what do you think?” Barba asked dryly.

For some reason, that just made Olivia laugh. “Do you have plans to meet up with him again?”

Barba gave her a look. “No,” he said, shortly. “Now, can we talk about literally anything else?” He was too busy flipping through the menu with more force than was even remotely necessary to see the knowing look that passed across Olivia’s face, though she let him change the subject without bringing it up again.

* * *

 

Barba hadn’t lied to Olivia — he had no concrete plans to meet up with Carisi again, and in fact, his intention when he made plans with Olivia to accompany her and Noah to Animal Kingdom the following day was to have a blissfully Carisi-free day.

Then again, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions and apparently, so was the road to Animal Kingdom.

Barba, Olivia and Noah hadn’t even made three steps into the park when they were assaulted by a cacophony of Staten Island accents, and Barba winced at the onslaught. “So much for no plans,” Olivia said mildly, and was pulled aside by Bella before Barba could protest — _vigorously_ , he might add — that he’d had nothing to do with this.

He settled instead for avoiding Carisi and skirting to the side of the entire Carisi crew.

However, avoiding Carisi put him directly in the path of Carisi’s older sisters, who intercepted him almost instantly, flanking him on either side in a way that made Barba feel instantly like he’d been cornered. “Can I help you?” he asked them, eyes flickering between the two.

The taller of the two gave him an almost predatory smile. “So, Mr. Barba,” she said, her voice overly sweet, “Sonny’s told us a lot about you. About your fancy clothes and ties, especially. Interesting how you’re able to afford all that on a public servant’s salary.”

“Oh my _God_ , Reese, could you be any less subtle?” the other sister — Gina, Barba now knew — said, rolling her eyes in a way far too similar to Carisi. “She wants to know how much money you have.”

Teresa gave Gina a look. “Sorry that I thought that was more important to start with than his entire dating history like you’re dying to know.”

“My entire what?” Barba asked, baffled, but was rescued by Carisi, who stepped in front of them to glare at his sisters.

“Don’t you two have anything better to do?” he asked, his eyes narrowed, and when neither Gina nor Teresa looked even remotely embarrassed, Carisi just rolled his eyes and grabbed Barba’s arm. “C’mon, Rafael, I need your help with Fiona.”

He tugged Barba in the direction of his niece and Barba glared at him. “I’d rather face the Carisi firing squad than deal with a child,” he hissed.

Carisi tossed him a look that was mostly amused, but there was an undercurrent of something that Barba couldn’t immediately place. “Trust me, you don’t,” he said, a little grimly, and Barba finally realized what that look was: panic. “Besides, Fiona’s not that bad, right Fi?” he asked, sweeping his niece off her feet and tickling her.

Even Barba had to smile slightly at Fiona’s laughter.

But all too soon, that laughter turned to wails as Fiona was informed that she was not allowed to ride the rollercoaster that the rest of the family was clamoring to ride, Expedition Everest. Personally, Barba took one look at the ride and decided he would much rather avoid it anyway, but doubted telling that to a literal child would make much difference.

However, he still watched as Carisi knelt down in front of his niece and told her seriously, “Hey, it’s ok, I’m not allowed to ride it either. So you can keep me company.”

Fiona stopped crying long enough to ask, through her sniffles, “Why can’t you go?”

Carisi glanced up at Barba and half-smiled. “Well, you know Mr. Barba? Don’t tell anyone, ok, but he’s scared of roller coasters.” Barba rolled his eyes and Carisi’s smile widened. “And it wouldn’t be very nice of me to leave my friend just to go on a ride.”

Fiona looked up at Barba, eyes wide, and though Barba gave Carisi a look, he nonetheless looked down at her and forced an approximation of a smile. “Sonny’s right,” he said solemnly. “I am scared, and you’re much braver than I am.” Fiona managed a smile at that and Barba smiled back with a genuine smile before asking, as nicely as he could manage, “Will you stay with me and keep me company?”

Fiona tilted her head as she thought about it before nodding and grabbing Barba’s hand, tantrum apparently over. Barba looked up and Carisi smiled at him. “Thanks,” he mouthed.

Barba shrugged. “You can go on the ride if you want,” he said. “I can take Fiona to go play with Noah in the dinosaur playground.”

Carisi looked offended at that. “And abandon you in your time of need?” he asked. “I think not.” He hesitated, as if he wasn’t sure whether to say what he was about to, before muttering, his grin wide and almost blinding, “You called me Sonny.”

Barba gave him a look. “Only because I can’t call you ‘Carisi’ to one of your family members. It’d be confusing.”

“Uh-huh,” Carisi said, still grinning. “Sure.” He picked Fiona up and held her against his hip before telling his assorted family members, “You all go on the ride. Barba and I’ll look after Fiona.”

“You sure, Sonny?” Bella asked. “We’ll be awhile — this line is really long.”

“It’s fine,” Carisi assured her with a smile. “We’ll take her on the safari ride.” He gave Barba a sideways glance. “Though there’s also a really good water ride, and you don’t even get _that_ wet…”

Barba elbowed him, sharply enough for Carisi’s smirk to disappear.

For a few seconds, at least.

* * *

 

Though the line for the Kilimanjaro Safaris wasn’t quite as long as the line for the roller coaster, it was nonetheless long enough for Fiona to wear herself out, so much so that she fell asleep in Carisi’s lap shortly after the safari began, before they even got to see any animals. Carisi didn’t seem to mind, and Barba shot him a glance before offering, “You’re good with her.”

Carisi shrugged. “She’s family,” he said. “It’s easier with family.” He gave Barba an appraising look. “Besides, you weren’t so bad yourself.”

Barba made a face. “Yeah, right,” he scoffed.

“I mean it,” Carisi said firmly. “You can try to act all tough and heartless, but I know you better than that, Counselor.” Barba gave him a skeptical look that Carisi met evenly before adding softly, “I mean, look at Ashtonja Abreu.”

Barba’s smiled disappeared and he turned to look out at the antelope without really seeing them. “Olivia tell you about that?” he asked carefully.

Carisi shrugged. “No. But I was with her when we spoke to Ashtonja, and did some digging. Put two and two together.”

“Well aren’t you the good little detective,” Barba said, though his bitterness felt more hollow than anything. “And?”

"And what?" Carisi asked.

Barba glanced at him. “And you still think I’m not cold-hearted?”

Carisi stared at him. "I don't think supporting an orphan and her grandmother as much as you can after her mother overdosed quite counts as being cold-hearted."

"Even if I was the one who gave her mother the money to OD?"

Carisi's expression didn't change. "Even then. Besides, as a Catholic, I figure you’ve more than atoned for it with all you’ve done since.” Barba just shook his head, but Carisi wasn’t done. “You're a good man, Rafael. Even you don't always feel like it."

Barba felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest and he looked away, unwilling or unable to hold Carisi’s gaze, to see the look on his face. “Thank you,” he said quietly. After a long moment of silence, punctuated by the safari guide telling them something of the story neither had been paying attention to, Barba awkwardly changed the subject. “So what is the Carisi clan up to for the rest of the day? I think Liv was planning on taking Noah back to the hotel after lunch for a nap.”

“I think we’re planning on going over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the end of the day,” Carisi said. “My sisters love Fantasmic — it’s this nighttime water and light and fireworks show.” He glanced at Barba before offering, “You should join us.”

The ready excuse that Barba had died on his tongue when he looked over at Carisi, Fiona still asleep in his lap. Not only did he have no actual reason to reject the offer, but he also found that he didn’t really want to.

So he shrugged and said, “Well, I seem to have no better offers, so…”

Carisi’s answering grin was blinding.

* * *

 

They met up with the rest of Carisi’s family in front of the Tree of Life, Carisi passing his still-sleeping niece to Bella. “Wait, wait,” Mr. Carisi said, gesturing toward Barba and Carisi. “Stand right there, boys. The light’s perfect for a picture.”

Carisi rolled his eyes. “Dad—” he started, a note of warning in his voice, but Barba cut him off.

“It’s fine,” he said, giving Mr. Carisi a smile. “But only if you promise to send me a copy of the picture, Mr. Carisi.”

“Call me Dom,” Dom said, beaming. “And I’ll make sure it gets to you.”

Carisi glanced at Barba, who shrugged and half-smiled. “It’s one picture, so don’t look at me like that,” he said. “And I’m hoping it’ll replace the one from yesterday that I’m going to find and burn.”

Carisi laughed at that before shaking his head and putting his arm around Barba’s shoulders. Barba hesitated before casually resting a hand on Carisi’s back, trying not let the hand slip too low or linger too long.

Trying not to think about how right it felt standing there like that while Carisi’s dad took the picture.

Because it did feel right, like Barba somehow belonged among the crowd of loud and even louder Italians as they took the shuttle over to Hollywood Studios. Like Barba belonged next to Carisi, their shoulders knocking together on the bus, their arms brushing against each other as they walked into the park.

In fact, as they entered Hollywood Studios, Barba was struck by the sudden realization that Carisi felt surprisingly right all around. It was an absurd thought and an even more absurd realization, but as Barba walked next to Carisi towards the back of the park and the looming structure that Carisi told Barba in a low tone was the Tower of Terror, he thought that maybe the absurdity of the situation merited some absurdity of their own.

Or maybe it was just that Barba had been falling in love with Carisi for years, no matter how much he’d tried to deny it.

That fact was only emphasized by the fact that even outside the claustrophobic confines of their work lives, Carisi was still as smart and funny and competent — an odd choice of qualities for Barba to admire, but he was past full on denial at this point — and while Barba should have found the cargo shorts and the flip-flops and the dressing like a full on frat-boy on vacation less than attractive, Carisi’s smile and dimples were somehow enough to make up for it.

At the very least, they were enough to sustain him as they waited in line for the Tower of Terror, chatting without really saying anything as they both caught the other staring before quickly looking away.

And they were enough for Barba to not comment when Carisi accidentally grabbed his hand when they were in free fall on the ride.

And they were enough for him to excuse the way his hand seemed to find its way to Sonny’s lower back as they walked around the park for the rest of the day, waiting for the sun to set.

As they headed in to Fantasmic, Barba finally let his hand fall back to his side, and he knew he didn’t imagine the way Carisi looked briefly disappointed. But they were around Carisi’s family, and Barba wasn’t going to let this — whatever _this_ was, whatever subtle shift had happened on a mock-safari ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom — be ruined by the overbearing swarm of Carisi’s relatives.

Not that it mattered.

“Did you two have fun today?” Teresa asked with just a hint of gloating in her tone as Barba and Carisi took their seats.

“Actually, we did,” Barba told her evenly.

Gina smirked at him. “Did you, uh, discuss anything exciting?”

Barba shrugged. “Well, we discussed the ACLU’s impact on writing revenge porn laws across the US,” he said casually, smirking slightly when he saw the assembled Carisi relatives’ faces fall at such a seemingly dull topic. “And we talked about several cases pending before the New York Court of Appeals, right?”

Carisi nodded, smirking as well. “Yeah, it’s fascinating stuff,” he assured his family members, who all looked disappointed as they turned back to their own conversations.

Carisi caught Barba’s eye and grinned, and Barba’s smirk grew.

It wasn’t a lie by any stretch. But what sounded like a boring legal conversation to an outside observer was anything but. They didn’t know the way Carisi’s cheeks became that perfect shade of pink when he was riled, or the way his hand gestures became even wilder the longer his rants went on. They didn’t know how Carisi’s brow furrowed in concentration when he listened to Barba talked. They didn’t know the way his face lit up when Barba told him he was right about something. They didn’t know the teasing and the taunting and the flirting that could be hidden behind case law and precedent.

But Barba knew.

He knew exactly what Carisi’s family was missing out on.

He knew exactly what moments he would never dream of sharing with anyone else.

And there was undoubtedly a better time to do this — a better _way_ to do this — but as the show got underway, Barba found he couldn’t concentrate on anything but the man sitting next to him.

So he looked over, only to find that Carisi was staring at him as well, something awestruck in his expression that had absolutely nothing to do with the light and water show in front of them.

Like he couldn’t quite believe they were here together.

Barba couldn’t quite believe any of it either, the least of which being that they’d been sitting next to each other for a solid half hour without either poking fun at the other.

Well, he’d have to change that.

“So, Carisi—” he started, right as the fireworks began.

Carisi smiled, his expression soft, his face lit by the colorful bursts of light. “What?” he shouted back over the noise of both the show and the exploding fireworks.

Barba found he really didn’t have anything to say.

So he settled for closing the space between them and kissing Carisi, cupping his cheek with a possessive hand while the other balled in his shirt, dragging him in closer.

Carisi kissed him back with complete abandon, opening his mouth against Barba’s and kissing him as if he didn’t care that God, his entire family, and Mickey Mouse himself were watching this.

Barba didn’t care either, because with fireworks exploding above them and Carisi’s lips against his, he was pretty sure there’d never be a more perfect moment.

And in that moment, Barba almost believed that magic was real.


	4. Epcot

All too soon, the fireworks — both literal and figurative — were over, and Barba let his hand drop from Carisi’s cheek, taking a half step back, his mind completely blank for any kind of excuse or explanation for what had just happened.

Based on Carisi’s slightly dazed grin, he didn’t really need one.

But it took far more than that to stop Barba from saying what was on his mind. “We should really—” he started, though he hadn’t quite decided if the next words out of his mouth were going to be “talk” or “go back to my hotel room.”

In the end, it didn’t matter, since some brat of a child pushed Barba from behind, effectively cutting him off, and by the time he had regained his balance, Bella had handed a sleeping Fiona off to Carisi, who looked at Barba almost apologetically. “We really need to—” Carisi started, but it was his turn to be interrupted, this time by Fiona, who woke up and started wailing.

Besides, by that point, they were being jostled on all sides by the crowds of people streaming out of the amphitheatre, and Barba found himself quickly separated from Carisi and the entire Carisi clan.

Not that he minded all that much. He needed a moment alone to gather his thoughts.

And to try and contain the shit-eating grin that had spread across his face.

When he got out to the bus for his hotel, he phone buzzed twice in succession with two texts, and Barba fished it out from his pocket and glanced at it.

The first was from Carisi, and Barba felt himself smirk as he read it: _See you tomorrow? :)_

He figured he’d allow the use of an emoticon just once without reprimand. Carisi better not make it habit.

His smirk softened into more of a grin at the thought that anything related to what had happened that day and night might become a habit.

His grin disappeared when he read the next text from Olivia: _Did you enjoy the fireworks?_

In fact, he was pretty sure his heart stopped for a moment. How could Olivia possibly have known—

He snorted softly and shook his head. Of course Olivia didn’t know. She had just sent a friendly text to ask about how his evening had went. He sent her a quick, positive and completely vague response before returning to Carisi’s text, hesitating, and responding in what he hoped was a coy fashion: _Even if I said no, you seem to be making it a habit of turning up regardless._

Not even a moment later, his phone pinged again. _Oh Rafael, you say that like it’s a bad thing ;)_

Ok, Barba was really going to have to talk to him about the emoticons.

He rolled his eyes before replying: _Good night, Carisi. I will undoubtedly see you tomorrow_.

Again, almost instantly, Carisi replied: _Night <3 _

Ok, maybe Barba could allow one or two emoticons. Used sparingly, of course.

His phone pinged again, this time from Olivia: _Want to get a drink when you get back to the hotel and tell me about your day?_

Barba hesitated. He was never one to turn down a drink with Liv, but he wasn’t sure that he was ready to discuss... _this_ , whatever _this_ was, with anyone.

Especially since he hadn’t yet had a chance to discuss it with Carisi.

Luckily, before he could think of a way to get himself out of it, Olivia sent another text: _Nevermind, Noah just woke up. Raincheck?_

Barba texted her a quick affirmative and leaned back in his seat on the bus, a smile once again spreading across his face as he let his thoughts drift back to the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater and kissing Carisi under the fireworks.

* * *

 

Sure enough, Barba hadn’t even made out of his hotel room when Carisi turned up, knocking on his door as best as he could while holding two travel mugs full of what Barba assumed was coffee. “My hero,” Barba said in greeting, reaching to grab one of the mugs and taking a sip.

Carisi laughed. “I hope you don’t mind me turning up unannounced,” he said, lingering awkwardly in the doorway.

“Have you not learned by now that bringing me coffee is enough to make me forgive most sins?” Barba asked with an arched eyebrow and a playful smirk.

But Carisi didn’t seem amused, instead bouncing lightly up and down on the balls of his feet. “Obviously not,” he said.

Barba frowned, trying to gauge why Carisi was acting so strangely and coming up blank. “Anyway,” Carisi said, finally coming into Barba’s hotel room only to skirt almost nervously around him, “Liv and Bella are taking the kids swimming and my sisters and parents decided to join them, so—”

Barba grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his tracks, and leaned in to kiss him. It was a brief kiss, far shorter than the night before, but just as sweet. “Good morning,” Barba said pointedly, and Carisi broke into a wide, almost goofy grin.

“Uh, yeah, good morning,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, we just, uh, we didn't have a chance to talk after last night and I didn't want to assume…”

“Well, you know what happens when you assume,” Barba said, mock-serious.

Carisi rolled his eyes, his smile fond. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he muttered before glancing at Barba. “So anyway, since my family and Liv are all going to be busy, I came to see what, uh, what you were up to.”

“That depends entirely on what your plans are for the day,” Barba told him, taking a sip of coffee.

Carisi’s grin widened. “Well in that case, can I show you the world?”

"Aladdin again?" Barba asked, making a face.

"Not quite," Carisi said, hesitating before holding his hand out to Barba and asking, "Do you trust me?"

Barba's own hesitation was significantly less as he took Carisi's hand and told him simply, "Yes."

Carisi's answering smile was more than worth it regardless.

* * *

 

As it turned out, by "the world", Carisi had meant the World Showcase at Epcot. “Really?” Barba asked, making a face at they walked through the park towards the world showcase.

Carisi just laughed. “Hey, we’re completely kid-free for the day, which means this is the perfect opportunity to do something I’ve always wanted to do and something I think you will absolutely enjoy.” Barba glanced up at him skeptically and Carisi smirked. “We’re gonna drink around the world.”

“We’re going to…” Barba trailed off, realizing what Carisi meant. “Why, Detective, are you trying to get me drunk?”

“Yeah,” Carisi said, unabashedly. “But don’t worry, I won’t take advantage of you. Cop’s honor.” Barba raised an eyebrow and Carisi grinned before amending, “I won’t take advantage of you unless you want me to.”

“That’s more like it,” Barba said, satisfied. He glanced to his right at what appeared to be Canada, and to his left at an approximation of an Aztec pyramid assumedly belonging to Mexico. “Where do we start?”

They started with tequila shots at the tequila bar inside the Mexican pavilion. “Salud,” Barba said, clinking his glass against Carisi’s before downing it. “Although I can’t help but feel that starting with tequila shots at 10 in the morning is a disaster waiting to happen.”

Carisi waved a dismissive hand. “Well, you know what they say, beer before liquor, never been sicker.”

“Does that mean they don’t sell liquor at the Canada pavilion?” Barba asked, amused. “And here I was hoping to end the day with a nice glass of Canadian rye.”

“You realize you’re a snob,” Carisi said, with no small amount of affection.

Barba smirked at him. “Yes, and you seem to have found a way to overlook that particular personality flaw.”

Carisi rolled his eyes, smiling, and surprised Barba by leaning in to kiss him. Barba could taste the lime and salt on his lips and decidedly instantly that 10 o’clock was _not_ too early to do tequila shots.

Not if it ended like this, anyway.

When they broke apart, both men were grinning, and Carisi jerked his head towards the entrance. “C’mon,” he said. “I gotta lotta world left to show you.”

Barba rolled his eyes as he followed Carisi back outside. “How is it that you make even that sound like a terrible pick up line?” he asked, not waiting for Carisi to answer. “So, on to Norway, I assume?”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Carisi said, grabbing his arm and tugging him to his side. “Selfie first.”

Barba rolled his eyes but nonetheless forced a smile as Carisi took a selfie of them in front of the pyramid. “Are you going to do this in every country?” Barba asked grumpily when Carisi released him.

“Of course,” Carisi said with a grin.

And he did.

It became a comfortable routine over the next several hours: Carisi and Barba would find their drink of choice in each country and snacks in most (because even a veteran drinker like Barba knew that eleven drinks in about eight necessitated food if they didn’t want to be sent to DIsney prison for public intoxication.

“Does Florida have reciprocity with New York for law licenses?” Carisi asked, when Barba voiced this thought out loud.

Barba frowned. “I don’t know,” he admitted.

Carisi grinned. “We probably should’ve found that out before we started this, huh?”)

In Norway, they drank Carlsberg beer (“Should I tell them that Carlsberg is Danish?” Barba asked) and ate something called School Bread that was delicious (almost as delicious as Carisi kissing the creme from where it had smeared on Barba’s lip). China brought pot stickers and a plum wine that made Carisi grimace at the taste (and Barba couldn’t seem to stop himself from kissing said grimace off Carisi’s face). Germany was the first location where they differed on drink selection, as Carisi went with a Radeberger pilsner while Barba opted for a darker Hovel.

Not that it mattered, since Barba got to taste Carisi’s beer on his tongue anyway when they kissed.

And far more importantly, they both agreed emphatically on getting Bavarian pretzels.

And when Carisi again pulled Barba in for a selfie, Barba found his smile was less forced and more genuine each time.

Of course, they didn’t just drink and eat and kiss and take eighteen thousand selfies (at least, that’s how many it felt like to Barba). They talked — which is to say, they bickered — about the Supreme Court’s decision to take up _Janus v AFSCME_ over sparkling wine and cannoli in Italy which led into a whole argument about public-sector unions over sushi and sake in Japan (they had mutually agreed to skip America. “No es mi presidente,” Barba muttered darkly as they moved quickly through the area, and Carisi squeezed his hand).

Even through the arguing, Barba felt so _right_ sitting there watching Carisi gesture with his chopsticks. They could’ve been at any sushi place in Manhattan for how familiar it felt.

The same probably couldn’t be said as they carried the argument (expanded now to the role of teachers unions, with Barba, his own mother being head of a charter school, and Carisi, as not only a union man himself but the very proud son of a woman who taught in public school for 35 years, on opposing sides) to Morocco and the alcoholic coffee they bought there, but there was still a familiarity there, a familiarity born as much from late nights and early mornings and bickering in the hallways of 1 Hogan Place as from the at-times tenuous friendship all those moments had wrought.

A friendship that probably needed to be salvaged as Carisi geared up to lay out another argument, and Barba cut him off smoothly. “You know that I’m playing Devil’s Advocate, right?’

Carisi blinked. “You...what?”

“You should know, you play this role often enough,” Barba said with a smile. “I just like getting you riled up.”

A slow smile spread across Carisi’s face. “Yeah?” he asked, leaning in to kiss Barba lightly.

Barba didn’t answer, letting his hand resting possessively on the nape of Carisi’s neck and his tongue licking into Carisi’s mouth do the talking for him.

Besides, France brought an argument of its own when Carisi insisted on getting a Grand Marnier slushie and Barba glared balefully at the orange drink. “It’s just plain disrespectful,” he said, sipping on a glass of Bordeaux instead. “Grand Marnier should be taken neat as a digestif.”

“It’s fancy triple sec,” Carisi said dismissively. “You can put it in anything.”

Barba stared at him in horror. “And I suppose you would put Coke in your scotch since it's just 'fancy whiskey'?” Carisi pretended to consider it and laughed when Barba groaned.

Luckily, the United Kingdom served scotch, and Barba pointedly ordered his neat while Carisi avoided the topic altogether by getting a beer.

“We’re almost done with our world tour,” Carisi said as they sat outside splitting an order of fish and chips. “Do you feel like we really got the immersive experience in all the countries?”

His tone was teasing and Barba rolled his eyes. “Yes, I certainly feel more worldly now,” he said dryly. He glanced at his watch. “Do you have anything planned for the evening, Detective?”

“We could stay for the fireworks here,” Carisi suggested with a smirk. “We can, uh, see if it’s a repeat performance of last night.”

“Tempting,” Barba said, and the idea was, fireworks seeming a fitting cap for what had been an incredible day. “But I had a different idea.” Carisi titled his head questioningly and Barba smiled. “I made reservations for us at Portobello Country Italian Trattoria in Downtown Disney.”

Carisi looked surprised for a moment before blurting, “It’s called Disney Springs now, not Downtown Disney—”

Barba silenced him by tugging him close and kissing him.

Carisi melted into the kiss for a moment before laughing silently against him and pulling away, his eyes sparkling. “Ignoring the history of Downtown DIsney,” Barba said, giving Carisi a look, and Carisi rolled his eyes, still grinning.

“Right. Uh. That place is kinda fancy, isn’t it?” He glanced down at himself and back up at Barba, his grin fading into something Barba couldn’t quite read. “I mean, even if we were in the city and still in our work clothes, I’m sure you would still find something to criticize about my outfit then, let alone now.”

“Your suits have gotten much better since you started at SVU,” Barba said automatically, even as he was eyeing Carisi’s outfit with a critical eye. Yes, he was still wearing flip flops, but the cargo shorts had thankfully not made a reappearance and he’d paired his much nicer shorts with a polo shirt just this side of too tight.

In short, Carisi’s outfit was irredeemable.

And yet everything about it was working for Barba.

“I don’t believe there’s a dress code, Detective,” he said dryly, raking his eyes up Carisi’s body slowly enough to make Carisi blush. “Besides, I think you look fine.”

“Just fine?” Carisi asked innocently.

Barba gave him a look. “Don’t press your luck.”

As it turned out, Carisi was dressed significantly nicer than most of the other men at the restaurant, and Carisi chose to gloat silently about that fact. Mostly, anyway.

After a satisfying meal, a bottle of wine and a good conversation that Barba honestly couldn’t remember a single word of if pressed, the waitress brought them a dessert menu and Carisi sighed happily. “What’re you thinking?” he asked, with his usual half-smile, the one Barba constantly wanted to wipe off his face, preferably with his lips. “I could go for some tiramisu.”

“I was thinking we could get dessert to go,” Barba said casually.

Carisi glanced up at him. “Oh?” he asked, his brow furrowed slightly as if he was waiting for an explanation.

Perhaps Barba needed to be more direct.

“I was thinking we could have dessert at my hotel room,” he said, more pointedly.

Carisi blinked and swallowed, hard, the dessert menu in his hand falling to the table. “Uh, yeah,” he said, suddenly hoarse. “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

Despite the promise that gleamed in Carisi’s eyes and the fact that Barba had been waiting all day to get those sinful lips on every part of his body, they took their time heading back towards the buses, walking hand in hand down the boardwalk.

“Today was amazing,” Carisi offered, and Barba smiled.

“It really was,” he said, before adding with a smirk, “and the day’s not done, either.”

Carisi laughed, then paused in his step, his expression shifting. “Do you, uh…” Carisi trailed off, a blush blooming across his face and Barba glanced at him, amused.

“By all means, spit it out, Detective.”

Carisi glared at him, but without any real heat. “Do you have a condom?” he asked through gritted teeth.

Barba blinked at him, the realization suddenly hitting him. “I...do not. Don’t you?”

“Why would I have a condom?” Carisi asked.

Barba raised an eyebrow. “You’re a young, virile man. Shouldn’t you always carry a condom with you, just in case?”

Carisi’s expression shifted, as if he couldn’t quite tell if Barba was making fun of him. Truth be told, Barba couldn’t quite tell either, too flabbergasted by Carisi’s question to bring any actual snark to the conversation. “I may be a young, virile man, but I’m also on vacation with my family and staying on the pullout couch in my parents’ hotel room.” Barba made a skeptical noise and Carisi glared at him. “What, did you think I’d be spending my family vacation cruising?”

Barba realized he didn’t have a good answer to that, so he changed the subject. “So does this mean our evening is coming to an unsatisfactory end?”

“Of course not,” Carisi scoffed, grinning again. “The gift shop in your hotel has to sell condoms.”

Barba stopped in his tracks. “I swear to God, if they have Mickey Mouse on them…” he said threateningly, and Carisi cracked up, practically doubling over in laughter. “This is not a joke, Sonny. Mickey Mouse on condoms is a deal breaker.”

Carisi straightened, his laughter mostly dissipating, though he was still grinning widely. “I am almost positive that Mickey Mouse will be nowhere in or around the condoms,” he said.

Barba glared at him. “He better not be,” he said sourly.

Carisi’s smile didn’t fade, though it did soften, and he pulled Barba to him and kissed his temple. “You called me Sonny,” he remarked, aiming for casual but sounding far too excited to pull it off.

“Don’t get used to it,” Barba said warningly. “Apparently after drinking all day and most of the evening, even my tongue slips.”

“I don’t think I could ever get used to it,” Carisi said, a little too honestly, and Barba glanced up at him, something about the look in Carisi’s eyes making his stomach do somersaults. “I dunno if I’d ever want to.”

Barba tore his eyes away from Carisi’s and huffed a sigh. “Anyway,” he said, trying to get the evening back on track, or at least as on track as it was going to get, “since we’re banking on buying condoms in my hotel’s gift shop, are you ready to head back to my hotel?”

Carisi grinned. “Oh, yeah,” he said, leaning in to kiss Barba lightly. “Yeah, I’m ready to make some magic.”

Barba pulled away, glaring at him. “Really?” he asked dourly. “Because I’d like to point out that it’s just as easy for you to take a shuttle back to your hotel as to mine.”

Carisi’s grin didn’t even flicker as he draped an arm around Barba’s shoulders. “Yeah, but then you’d be spending the night all alone, and where would be the fun in that?”

Though Barba rolled his eyes, he couldn’t help but grudgingly note, “I suppose you’re right about that, Detective.”

“Of course I am,” Carisi said confidently. “And besides, where would be the _magic_ in that?”

And Barba just rolled his eyes again and groaned.


	5. Magic Kingdom Redux

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my thanks and love to AHumanFemale for her help with this chapter.

Barba’s eyelids fluttered open slowly, and for a moment, he couldn't remember where he was or whose arm was slung across his waist (or whose breath was warm and steady against the back of his neck).

Then, in an instant, realization hit.

Carisi.

He couldn't quite stop his smile at the memory of the night before: of Carisi unable to keep his hands off of him the entire shuttle ride back to the hotel; of Carisi’s arm wrapped snugly around his waist while he hid his snicker against Barba’s hair when Barba tried to contain his blush at the absurdity of buying condoms in the hotel gift shop, surrounded on all sides by grinning Mickey Mouses; of Carisi pressing him against his hotel room door and kissing him so deeply that Barba almost couldn't get his room key out of his wallet.

And, of course, his grin turned slightly more wicked at the memory of Carisi on him and in him and their bodies moving together in a way that Barba had never allowed himself to too thoroughly imagine.

Which was probably for the best — Barba wasn't convinced his imagination would have done reality justice.

Still, as the memory of the previous night and day faded, Barba could feel his smile slowly slip away, the warmth from Carisi’s arm around him stolen away by the cold dose of reality that he had been trying to keep at bay.

He thought of yesterday, of their near-perfect day spent walking together hand in hand, and tried to picture the same thing in New York, their flip flops and topsiders replaced with polished oxfords and their shorts and t-shirts with tailored suits. He tried to picture languid kisses exchanged in front of 1 Hogan Place or selfies in front of iconic New York buildings. He tried to picture anything he and Carisi had shared the past few days transplanted to Manhattan.

He couldn't.

He could see pieces of it, certainly, had even felt it yesterday in the casual familiarity he had shared with Carisi in every conversation together, but he tried to swap the tourist-laden and sun-soaked paths of Epcot for the tourist-laden and rain-drenched streets of Manhattan and drew a blank.

The last few days had been...well, had been like a fairytale, but that fairytale was coming to an end. And when Barba tried to find a way to reconcile their reality with the dream this had been, he just couldn't see a way that it would work.

A way that _they_ would work.

And maybe he should have realized that from the very beginning, from the sheer fact that their first kiss had taken place under literal fireworks, but Barba had let himself get fooled by the promise of magic and all it entailed.

There just wasn't enough magic to sustain this thing in the real world, no matter how much he might wish otherwise.

Which meant he had to end it before reality got a chance to do it first.

He only hoped Carisi would find a way to understand.

Carisi’a breath lightened from what had almost been a snore into something more uneven, the first sign that he was waking up, and he nuzzled the nape of Barba’s neck and pulled him in closer. Barba felt it like waking from a bad dream into a worse one and flinched from the touch, the jolt waking Carisi fully.

“G’morning,” Carisi said, with a yawn.

Barba shrugged out of his grip and sat up. “Morning,” he said, his voice sounding strange to his own ears.

Carisi sat up as well, blinking blearily at him before his mouth stretched in a wide, almost blissful smile and Barba had to look away and swallow around the sudden lump in his throat. He stood, and Carisi grabbed his hand, tugging him back toward the bed. “Where you goin’?” he asked playfully.

Barba didn't meet his eyes. “I promised Liv I’d meet her for breakfast.”

A lie, but a necessary one.

Carisi’s grin didn't fade. “I think you can afford to be late.”

Barba gave him a look. “Unless you want your boss to find out about this, I'd need a very good excuse to be late, and I can't exactly think of one.”

Carisi pouted. “Fine,” he relented. “But I’ll still see you at Magic Kingdom later, right?”

“Of course,” Barba said quickly. Too quickly, and had Carisi’s interrogation skills not been suppressed by the early hour ( _by the fact that he trusts you_ , Barba’s mind provided rather unnecessarily), he might've been suspicious.

But Carisi just smiled, not sensing anything amiss as he said, “Good. I've got a lotta magic left to show you, and only one day to fit it all in.”

One day.

The reminder was just another cold dose of reality.

Before he could stop him, Carisi tugged him down and kissed him, a deep, slow, open-mouthed kiss that Barba couldn't have squirmed his way out of even if he had wanted to.

He didn't.

If anything, he'd almost prefer to stay like this forever.

As that wasn't an option, Barba settled for losing himself in the kiss, wishing he could memorize every movement of Carisi’s lips against his in the inevitable case that he would never again feel them.

Perhaps something of his reluctance came through as Carisi ended the kiss far too quickly, pulling back to look at Barba, a frown furrowing his brow. “You ok?” he asked.

“Fine,” Barba said, forcing a smile. “Just need coffee.”

Carisi grinned and teased, “Yeah, you better get caffeinated. Can't have you sleeping through the second-best part of the trip, Counselor.”

Despite himself, Barba asked, “Second best?” Carisi just smirked and Barba rolled his eyes. “Yes, that would be a tragedy,” he said, aiming for his usual snark and missing by a mile.

Carisi again didn't seem to notice, just kissing him lightly once more before standing. “I'll see you later,” he said, the promise of it causing him to grin.

The promise of it just caused Barba to wince before he forced his expression to even out. “Of course,” he said.

Carisi frowned and leaned in for another kiss. “Are you like this every morning?” he asked. “I'll have to remember to set the timer on the coffee pot for next time.”

The thought that there wouldn't be a next time hurt Barba far more than he ever thought it could.

* * *

 

For lack of anything better to do, Barba ended up having breakfast with Olivia, which was clearly a mistake. While Carisi may not have been awake enough to notice how off Barba’s mood was, Olivia was far sharper first thing in the morning, and it took only a few minutes of Barba playing with his Mickey Mouse waffle without actually eating it for her to ask, “Anything wrong, Rafael?”

“Not at all,” he said, forcing his voice to sound as light and cheerful as he could make it before changing the subject. “I imagine you’re looking forward to heading home tomorrow.”

Olivia shrugged, smiling at Noah, who was eating his own waffle carefully after Liv had cut it into bite-sized pieces for him. “Honestly? No. I mean, I’ll be happy to sleep in my own bed, but spending this much time with the person I care about most in this world? You can’t beat that.” She arched an eyebrow at Barba. “What about you?”

Barba blinked and looked away, biting back his seemingly-automatic response that he agreed about not being able to beat spending time with the person he cared about most in the world.

He internally rolled his eyes at himself. He was being ridiculous. He and Carisi had slept together once, and had gone on charitably three dates. This was hardly the basis for Barba to be feeling this absurd.

So he settled for stabbing his Mickey Mouse waffle right in the middle of its face as he told Olivia, “Honestly, I’m looking forward to getting back to the real world.”

Olivia’s expression shifted slightly, but whatever response she had to that was lost by Noah asking her a question, and as soon as he was able, Barba made his escape.

Of course, the only place he could escape to was the very place he didn’t want to go with the very person he didn’t want to see, and Barb could feel dread creep over him as the shuttle bus approached Magic Kingdom.

It certainly didn’t help matters that his heart leapt in his chest when he saw Carisi waiting patiently for him.

It leapt even higher when he got off the shuttle and Carisi straightened and grinned at him. “Good morning,” Carisi said, and Barba just grunted a hello, turning his head at the last second so that Carisi’s greeting kiss brushed against his cheekbone instead of his lips.

Still, Carisi seemed undeterred, reaching for Barba’s hand, and Barba hastily pulled his phone out and busied himself with it as they made their way inside.

If Carisi was confused by what was happening, he had the good sense not to mention it, instead chatting animatedly as if nothing was wrong. Probably because he had no idea that anything _was_ wrong. “So we’ve got basically two main areas left to hit,” Carisi said cheerfully as they headed down Main Street. “Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. Where do you wanna start?”

“I don’t care,” Barba said tonelessly, glancing briefly up from his phone just in time to see Carisi’s smile slip, ever so slightly.

A moment later, and it was back in full force. “Great, so Fantasyland it is,” Carisi said, putting an arm around Barba’s shoulders, which Barba deftly shrugged off.

Now even an idiot could tell that something was wrong, and for his many faults, Carisi was no idiot, and Barba knew that as well as anyone. So the stiff silence that followed them to Fantasyland was perhaps only to be expected.

Just like Carisi’s determination to get things back on track was only to be expected.

“You wanna go on the Winnie the Pooh ride?”

Barba shrugged. “If you want to,” he said dismissively.

Carisi’s brow puckered. “You wanna go on the Peter Pan ride?”

“Whatever.”

“You wanna go on the carousel?” Barba just shrugged again in response and Carisi sighed. “You wanna go ride Splash Mountain and get soaked again?” he suggested, a last-ditch effort at humor that failed miserably. Carisi sighed again, clearly irritated, and suggested, “You want me to buy you a lollipop since you’re acting like a child?”

It was, frankly, the opening Barba had been waiting for, and he rounded on Carisi, his temper at the whole situation getting the best of him. “I’m not a child,” he hissed.

Carisi raised an eyebrow, seemingly unperturbed at Barba’s outburst. “No, but you’re acting like a brat,” he said calmly. “Do I need Bella to take you back to the hotel with her and Fiona for a nap?”

Barba gaped at him. This was frankly not how he had imagined Carisi reacting. Carisi looked at him, unconcerned with the way Barba couldn’t seem to find a single thing to say to that. “On the other hand, you can also just try talking to me about whatever’s bothering you like we’re both adults,” he suggested evenly. “Because we are.”

“Some more than others,” Barba snapped. He glared at Carisi, trying to find it in himself to hate the way that Carisi was looking at him expectantly. “Today is our last day in Disney World. Which means today has to be the last day of us.”

Carisi looked taken aback. “The last day — what? Rafael, why does that mean today has to be the last day of us?”

Barba straightened, for the first time feeling back in control of the situation. “It’s quite simple, Detective,” he said coolly. “This has been fun, as vacation flings always are, but tomorrow we have to face the real world. And there is no world in which this—” He gestured vaguely between himself and Carisi, who was staring at him, his expression unreadable. “—could possibly work.”

Carisi blinked, then shook his head slowly. “I completely disagree,” he said, the slowness of his words revealing how thrown he was by what Barba had said. “I mean, yeah, it’ll take work to keep this going when we’re back in Manhattan, but it’s work I’m willing to do. There’s a future here, I know there is.”

Barba’s lip curled into a sneer as he lashed out the most effective way he knew how. “And here I thought I was the one being _childish_.”

Carisi sucked in a breath, a hurt look flashing across his face. “It’s not childish to want to build a future with someone,” he said, more defiant than defensive.

“It is when there’s no foundation on which to build it.”

“No foundation?” Carisi shot back, incredulous. “What do you call the last few days? Hell, what do you call the last few _years_?”

“The last few years are littered with proof that this wouldn’t work,” Barba said dismissively. “Between our jobs, the age difference and the simple fact that we want different things—”

“Like what?” Carisi asked, challenge clear in his voice.

Barba cocked an eyebrow at him. “Children, for one,” he said coolly. “Marriage for another.” He allowed himself a grim, almost bitter smile. “All the things a good Catholic boy from Staten Island wants.”

“I want a family, Raf,” Carisi said tiredly. “And there’s more than one way to build a family besides marriage and kids.” Barba shook his head but Carisi didn’t let him continue, instead taking a step closer. “What about these last few days?” he asked again, his voice soft, something earnest in both his tone and expression. “Don’t those count for anything?”

Barba took a deep breath. “The last few days have been fantastic,” he said honestly, and Carisi started to smile. “Emphasis on the _fantasy_ root of that word, Detective.”

Carisi’s smile disappeared. “Sure felt real to me.”

Even Barba had to wince at that. “It was real,” he allowed, and Carisi’s eyes flashed, though Barba beat him to the punch. “As real as anything in Disney World could be. But the idea of extending it past today is a fantasy. A nice one, I’ll grant you that, but a fantasy nonetheless.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Carisi started, but Barba had had enough of the conversation, wanting to end this once and for all so that he could let his heart break in peace.

“It’s a fantasy!” he snapped, loudly enough that a few people stopped and stared. “If you were waiting for a sign from the universe, Detective, we’re literally standing in Fantasyland between the Dumbo ride and the magic tea cups, and you somehow want to try to convince me this isn’t a fantasy?” Carisi shook his head slowly, but Barba again beat him to it. “I think it’s time we both grew up and realized that life isn’t a Disney movie and things don’t always work out.”

For a long moment, Carisi just stared at him, expression unreadable, and Barba braced for the goodbye he’d known was coming ever since that very first kiss.

Instead, Carisi grabbed his hand without warning and all but dragged him a hundred feet from where they were standing, ignoring his protests. “Here,” he said roughly, coming to a stop so quickly that Barba almost ran into him. Barba just stared up at him blankly, wondering where the hell Carisi was going with this. “You’re so worried about the future? Fine. But we’re not in Fantasyland anymore. We’re in Tomorrowland, and if we’re having this argument, we’re having it for real.”

Barba slowly shook his head, but standing there in between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, staring at the defiant, determined look on Carisi’s face, he couldn’t help the smile that twitched at the corners of his mouth. “You...you’re ridiculous. You know that, right?”

“And yet you’ve somehow managed to overlook that particular personality flaw,” Carisi said without any heat, and Barba’s smile widened as he recognized his own words being tossed back at him. Carisi managed a smile when he saw Barba’s own, his expression softening. “I can’t promise you that we don’t have things we gotta work on. God knows we do. I’m not expecting a Disney movie, Raf. Life is complicated and messy and our jobs make it infinitely moreso.”

Barba shook his head slowly, but it was Carisi’s turn to beat him to the punch. “You think I'm expecting every day back home to feel like this? I know we’re gonna go days on end without seeing each other because our jobs get crazy. I know that we aren't gonna eat dinner out at a fancy restaurant every night, that our date nights will probably involve takeout and your office. I know that because I've wanted this for a long time, long before Disney got involved. It’ll take a helluva lot of work, but honestly, Raf, you already met my family, and if we can survive that, I'm pretty sure we can work through anything.”

His words were calm, and even, and logical, and Barba would’ve had a hard time refuting them even if he had wanted to. At the moment, he was having enough difficulty struggling to remember what reason he’d had to want to refute this in the first place.

“So I wanna try,” Carisi continued, his smile widening slightly when Barba didn’t immediately argue against him. “Because this is worth working toward. Because when I’m with you…”

He trailed off, blushing, and Barba’s smile sharpened into a grin as he prodded, “When you’re with me…?”

“It sure as hell feels like a Disney movie,” Carisi said. “Messy, and complicated, and the best damn Disney movie I’ve ever seen.”

And Barba couldn’t help but kiss him then.

As good as that first kiss had been under the fireworks, as amazing and like everything Barba had ever dreamed, it was nothing compared to this, to Barba closing the space between them and finding Carisi’s lips with his own, to Carisi cupping Barba’s cheek with one hand while the other rested lightly against his neck, to Barba tugging Carisi closer by the belt loops of his stupid cargo shorts.

It wasn’t a perfect kiss.

But it certainly was real.

When they broke apart, they were both smiling, and Carisi took a deep breath before asking carefully, “Are you ready to try this thing again, for real this time?”

“Are you talking about us, or about finishing up Magic Kingdom?” Barba asked with a smile a little too soft to be the smirk he intended.

Carisi rolled his eyes. “Both.”

Barba considered it for a second, considered the man in front of him, considered all his reasons for ending this that may have been temporarily silenced for the moment but could easily rear their ugly heads.

And he thought of how much easier it would be to silence them again with Carisi at his side.

“Lead the way,” he said simply, and Carisi grinned.

This time, when Carisi reached for his hand, Barba let him take it.


	6. Back to Reality

The next morning, Barba was rather rudely awoken by Carisi stumbling around his hotel room and swearing under his breath as he tried to put his shirt on in the dark. Barba reached over and flipped the light on, frowning at Carisi, who seemed to be trying to get his head through his sleeve. “What is wrong with you?”

Carisi got the sleeve situation sorted and pulled his shirt on, giving Barba a sheepish smile. “I didn’t want to wake you,” he said, crossing to the bed to drop a brief but sweet kiss on Barba’s lips.

“You were obviously not successful,” Barba said, a bit waspishly.

“I kind of assumed I wouldn’t be,” Carisi said with a chuckle. “Which is why I turned the coffee pot on for you.” He hesitated. “Sorry for rushing off, but, uh, I gotta pack and I really want to avoid my parents as much as possible.”

Barba sat up, realization sinking in. “Hang on a second,” he said slowly, squinting through the sleepy fog still clouding his thoughts. “What did you tell them yesterday?”

It was hard to tell in the dim light from the single lamp, but Barba was pretty sure that Carisi blushed. Still, he tone was even when he told Barba, “I didn’t tell them a damn thing. I’m a grown-ass man and I don’t have to tell my parents that I’m spending the night with someone.”

Barba’s eyes narrowed. “So you didn’t tell your parents, in whose hotel room you’re staying, that you weren’t going to be returning to their hotel room to sleep?”

“Well, of course I told them I wasn’t going to be coming back to the room,” Carisi said, sounding scandalized. “I’m not a monster and I know how my ma worries. I just…” He waved his hand in a vague gesture. “I didn’t give them any details. They can work it out on their own.”

Barba sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why am I having flashbacks to eleventh grade and sneaking out of Lauren Sullivan’s bedroom?”

Carisi just laughed and kissed Barba once more. “I’ll see you at the airport,” he said.

Barba caught his hand as he turned to leave. “You won’t have to sneak out of my apartment when we’re back in New York.”

Carisi’s smile softened and he let Barba draw him back towards the bed, leaning down to give him a slow, languid kiss. “See?” he said softly, carding his fingers through Barba’s hair. “Reality’s sounding better than Disney World already.”

“Better coffee, too,” Barba said as the coffee pot let out a sad gurgling noise.

“Something to look forward to,” Carisi said, giving him one final kiss before standing. “And now I really have to go.”

Barba shrugged and stretched before lying back against his pillow, his arms stretched above his head. “You know, it’s a shame we’re not flying on the same flight.”

“Aw, you not looking forward to being apart from me for a few hours?” Carisi teased, his hand on the door knob.

Barba shrugged again. “I was more thinking that we could’ve joined the mile high club.”

Carisi paused, staring at him, and Barba smirked when he saw the exact moment when Carisi realized that he wasn’t going to be making it back to his parents’ hotel room anytime soon. “Mile high club,” Carisi huffed, crossing back to the bed and kissing Barba almost hungrily. “Jesus Christ, Raf—”

Barba silenced any further complaints by putting Carisi’s mouth to much better use.

* * *

 

Though Barba exchanged a few texts with Carisi during the morning, he assumed that they would not again see each other until they were both back in Manhattan, since they were flying out on different airlines and at different times. Which is why he was surprised when he, Olivia and Noah got to their gate only to find, at the next gate over, the entire Carisi clan assembled.

Olivia gave Barba a look. “This is an interesting coincidence, Counselor.”

“What?” Barba said defensively. “I didn’t know Carisi was going to be here.”

Olivia smirked. “Who said anything about Carisi?”

Barba rolled his eyes and was about to retort when Carisi bounded up to them, grinning. “What’re you doing here?” Barba asked lightly

“I could ask you the same thing,” Carisi returned, his grin widening, and Barba rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t help but smile as well.

Olivia glanced between the two of them, looking amused, and she bent to tell Noah, “Sweetheart, why don’t you go play with Fiona?”

Noah grinned and ran in the direction of newest friend, who waved her Pluto stuffed animal in his direction. Olivia gave them both a knowing look before telling them, “I’m going to go talk to Bella until we board.”

“Tactful,” Barba muttered as Olivia picked up her bag and crossed to sit next to Bella.

“Do you think she knows?” Carisi asked, his grin not fading as he followed Barba to sit down together in two open seats on the other side of the gate.

Barba gave him a careful look. “Olivia didn’t become a police lieutenant by being an idiot,” he said. “Though perhaps this is a good time to discuss when you want to disclose.”

Carisi looked startled at the thought. “Is Monday too soon?” he asked. “I mean, I don’t mind telling people about us. Honestly, I’m really looking forward to telling people about us.”

“Yeah?” Barba asked, a small half-smirk lifting the corner of his mouth.

Carisi’s dimples deepened as he grinned at him. “Yeah.”

“Then Monday it is.”

Now Carisi was practically beaming at him, and he chanced a glance at Olivia, who was deep in conversation with Bella, before lacing his fingers with Barba’s and lifting Barba’s hand to press a kiss to his knuckles. “Good,” he said, sounding satisfied, before adding, “Because it would be hard to explain the picture of us on Splash Mountain otherwise, since first thing Monday morning, that thing’s getting framed and put on my desk.”

“Wait, what?” Barba asked, startled, while Carisi just laughed at the look on his face.

It hadn’t rained the entire time they were in Orlando, up until they were at the airport to leave, of course, when it started thunderstorming, and both flights were delayed. Carisi fell asleep, his head resting against Barba’s shoulder, and Barba glanced over at him with fond amusement. “I see you and Carisi managed to work out your differences,” Olivia said lightly as she settled into the seat across from them, a sleeping Noah clinging to her like a koala.

A moment too late, Barba realized that he and Carisi will still holding hands, but based on the soft but slightly satisfied look on Liv’s face, she had known all along. “Yeah, we did,” he said quietly, unable to stop his smile. “Did I already thank you for dragging me to Disney World?”

“Maybe, but it wouldn’t hurt to hear it again,” Liv said, smiling. She raised an eyebrow at him. “That being said, I expect to see the disclosure forms on my desk on Monday, Counselor.”

Barba grinned. “That was always the plan, Liv. First thing.”

Olivia looked a little surprised, but her expression softened a moment later. “Good,” she said. “I’m glad to know you’re serious about this.”

She shifted Noah in her lap to get her phone out of her purse and started tapping out a text-message with one hand. Barba raised an eyebrow as a small smile tugged at her lips and he sighed. “Are you texting Rollins to tell her about this?”

Olivia glanced up. “I’m insulted at the accusation, Rafael,” she said.

Barba rolled his eyes. “Oh, I’m _sorry_ , are you texting Rollins, Fin, Carmen, Rita and probably my mother to tell _all_ of them about this?”

Olivia couldn’t quite stop her grin. “You forgot Lucy,” she said innocently.

This time, Barba rolled his eyes so hard that he woke Carisi up. “Mngnm,” Carisi muttered, blinking into wakefulness and slowly lifting his head off Barba’s shoulder. “Oh, sorry, Raf, I think I drooled on you a little.”

“Charming,” Barba said dryly.

Carisi grinned at him. “C’mon, it’s not like you haven’t had my saliva elsewhere on your—”

“Oh, would you look at that, they’re starting pre-boarding,” Olivia said, hastily standing and practically fleeing in the direction of the gate while Barba choked on his laughter.

“Sorry, Lieu, I didn’t see you there!” Carisi called after her, though he was smirking in a way that clearly suggested otherwise.

Barba snorted and shook his head. “There’s probably a better way to disclose to your boss,” he managed when he finally got his laughter under control.

Carisi just shrugged, still grinning. “Maybe,” he allowed. “But not nearly as fun.”

Barba rolled his eyes but his smile was affectionate. “I’ll be sure to remember that when we tell your parents about us.”

Carisi’s smile disappeared. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Barba leaned in to kiss him but paused, close enough that their lips were almost touching. “And you wouldn’t dare put that picture from Splash Mountain on your desk, would you?”

“You drive a hard bargain,” Carisi sighed before capturing Barba’s lips with his own.

Before Barba could reply, they announced that they were, in fact, boarding his and Olivia’s flight, and he sighed and kissed Carisi once more before saying, something in his voice turning it into a question, “See you in New York?”

Carisi’s expression softened. “You better believe it.”

When he had settled into the window seat on the plane, ignoring Olivia settling Noah in next to him, Barba pulled out his phone to find that he had a text message from Carisi: _Can’t wait to see you in NYC. Safe flight <3 _

Barba didn’t hesitate before responding. _You too <3 _

His phone buzzed almost immediately. _Did Rafael Barba just use an emoticon??_

_Don’t get used to it_ , Barba warned in his next text.

_I wouldn’t dream of it ;)_

Barba rolled his eyes, but he was grinning.

He was still going to have to talk to Carisi about the damn emoticons.

* * *

 

First thing Monday morning, Barba strolled into the precinct, his half of the requisite paperwork tucked into a manilla folder. “Det. Carisi,” he started, breaking off when Carisi stood, a small smile on his face.

“The paperwork you needed, Counselor,” Carisi said, in a slightly-more-polite than normal version of his usually cheerful voice, as he handed Barba the form. “And I figured you could use more coffee.”

Barba brightened at the cup of coffee Carisi handed him and he was about to take a sip when he paused, noticing something strange about the foam on the latte. The barista had clearly attempted some rudimentary latte foam art, and it took a moment for Barba to place the three circles. “Mickey Mouse?” he asked dryly.

Carisi’s smile widened into a grin. “Seemed fitting.”

Barba just rolled his eyes and took a sip of the coffee before glancing at Carisi’s desk with some reservation, still half-expecting to see the picture from Splash Mountain, but it was nowhere to be seen. Carisi followed his line of sight and told him quietly, “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“I know,” Barba said.

He was surprised to find that he did.

“None of our eighteen thousand selfies from Epcot made the cut to be printed and framed, though?”

Carisi looked at him, startled. “You mean that?”

Barba shrugged. “Just don’t make me regret it,” he said, before adding, “Thanks for the coffee”, and heading in to Olivia’s office. “Lieutenant, as requested—”

He set the forms down on Olivia’s desk with a flourish and Olivia just glanced at first them, then him. “You actually went through with it,” she said mildly, sitting back in her chair. “I assumed you would try to break things off when you got back to Manhattan.”

“I should be offended by that,” Barba said, matching her tone before taking another sip of coffee. “Except that I tried to end it when we were still in Disney World.”

Olivia laughed. “Drinks at Forlini’s tonight so that I can hear all about it?”

“Tempting,” Barba said with a slow grin, watching Carisi through the window of Liv’s office, “but I think I’ve got plans.”

“Am I going to have to start scheduling Carisi for doubles whenever I want us to be able to hang out?” Olivia asked with an arched eyebrow.

Barba rolled his eyes. “I’m sure we can work out a joint-custody arrangement,” he said dryly, and Olivia just laughed. “Have a good day, Lieutenant.”

With that, Barba sauntered out of Olivia’s office, took another sip of coffee, and asked, raising his voice just loud enough to be heard over the general precinct noise, “Walk me out, Detective?”

Carisi straightened from where he had been bent over Rollins’ desk and grinned at him. “Sure,” he said easily. “Lemme just grab something.”

He pulled a bag out of his desk drawer and joined Barba to walk next to him to the elevator, their arms brushing from how closely they walked. As soon as the elevator doors closed, Barba turned to Carisi and tugged him down to kiss him, a slow, open-mouthed kiss that tasted like coffee “Good morning,” he said with a smile.

“You already told me that when the alarm went off this morning,” Carisi pointed out, but he was grinning even wider than before.

“I thought it beared repeating,” Barba said before glancing suspiciously at the bag in Carisi’s hand. “Do I even want to know?”

Carisi’s grin faltered. “It’s a gift from Bella,” he said, as if that was warning enough, which, frankly, it probably was. Barba should have paused at the thought that he knew Carisi’s family so well after only a few short days, but he pushed the thought aside. “And fair warning, she gave me a matching one.”

He handed the bag to Barba, who opened it cautiously before pulling out a t-shirt that read, ‘I went to Disney World and all I got was this lousy t-shirt’, except that Bella had crossed out the word ‘t-shirt’ and written ‘boyfriend’ in bright red puff paint.

Barba glared at Carisi. “Your family is never going to let us live this down, are they?”

“Nope,” Carisi said, and Barba just sighed and leaned in to kiss him again.

“You’re lucky you’re worth putting up with your family,” he grumbled.

Carisi’s answering smile alone was more than worth it.

The elevator door dinged open and Barba made to step out, but Carisi caught his arm. “You got plans tonight?” he asked, a little eagerly.

“Yes,” Barba said, and Carisi’s smile faltered. “With you, some Chinese takeout and a movie of your choice that does not involve the word ‘Disney’ in any way, shape or form.”

Carisi’s grin was back in full force and he kissed Barba once more before letting him go. “Sounds like a plan, Counselor. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Be safe,” Barba said simply.

As he made his way out of the building, Barba’s smile grew even wider when his phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see a text from Carisi: _Can’t wait <3 _

He was _really_ going to have to talk to Carisi about the emoticons, and he mentally scheduled the conversation for that evening over Chinese takeout on his couch. He also imagined the discussion would end up tabled in favor of not talking of any variety, and his smile turned into a self-satisfied smirk.

This thing with Carisi wouldn’t be easy. For Liv’s joke about scheduling Carisi for overtime, there was always the possibility they’d catch a case. There was always the possibility he’d be slammed at the office by a case and spend the entire night hunched over his law books and case files. That was a far more likely reality than his tentative plans.

But for right now, he had a t-shirt from Carisi’s sister and a latte with a Mickey Mouse drawn in foam and the taste of Carisi still on his lips, and Barba made the executive decision that for the moment, that was enough.

Because sometimes, reality was even more magic than fantasy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My thanks as always to the lovely OT3, ahumanfemale and tobeconspicuous, for their help and encouragement. My thanks also to every one of you lovely people who saw the words "Barba and Carisi go to Disney World" and were kind enough to give me the benefit of the doubt.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Most Magical Place on Earth [Podfic]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13995864) by [monstrous_eliza (ships_to_sail)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ships_to_sail/pseuds/monstrous_eliza)




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